Now Spaniard's McLaren has gearbox and engine penalties; Jenson Button also given 25-place penalty
Saturday 20 June 2015 12:00, UK
Fernando Alonso has been handed a further penalty following a gearbox change at the Austrian GP, taking his demotion to 25 places.
The Spaniard's McLaren-Honda had already been fitted with a fifth V6 engine, MGU-H and turbo at the Red Bull Ring, meaning it surpassed the limit of four allowed under FIA rules.
The rules stipulate a 10-place penalty the first time a fifth engine element is used, plus five for each (there are six engine elements in total) used thereafter.
Therefore 10+5+5 equalled 20 places for Alonso after Friday and a further gearbox change ahead of qualifying takes the grid drop to 25 - and also a time penalty in Sunday's race as well, given that there are only 20 cars.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed on Saturday that team-mate Jenson Button, who was forced to take a drive-through penalty in Canada after he exceeded his allocation of engine components there, has also been handed a 25-place grid penalty.
F1's complicated penalty system is likely to feature more prominently from here on in this season, with McLaren racing director Eric Boullier telling Sky Sports News HQ on Friday that they would rather have Button take the hit this weekend than at his home British GP in a fortnight's time.
“This weekend doesn’t suit our car," Boullier said. "We’re not ready yet to perform on this kind of track layout, so I think it’s a strategic call to go for more updated parts and keep these parts for Silverstone – and for our fans, where we should be a little bit more competitive.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat have also been handed a 10-place penalties for new Renault V6s this weekend.
Alonso's car is sporting a new short nose this weekend, with Button's MP4-30 fitted with the older – and longer – nose specification.
"This weekend will be tough," Alonso said earlier in the week. "The results will not look good – especially as there are some penalties to pay.
"There are updates on the car so hopefully we will go out of the weekend with some answers. I am optimistic about what is coming to the car but in terms of results it will not change much this weekend – it will probably be worse."
Don’t miss Sky Sports F1’s exclusively live coverage of the 2015 Austrian GP. The race begins at 1pm on Sunday, with build-up underway from 11.30am. No Sky Sports? No problem! Watch the Austrian GP for £6.99 with NOW TV
